黄石公园（2009）

In the winter of 1807,
在1807年冬天
a lone fur-trapper journeyed deep into
一个设陷狩猎的猎人
the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
孤身深入到洛矶山脉的中心地带
Somewhere near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River
在靠近黄石河上游的某处
he found a lost world.
他发现一个遗失的世界
A wonderland,
一个奇境
ruled by ice, fire and brimstone.
受冰 火和硫磺所支配
A world of extremes that challenges all that strive to live here.
一个极端的世界 考验着所有努力在此存活的一切生物
A place that has become perhaps the most treasured wilderness on Earth.
一个也许是地球上蕴藏着最多宝藏的荒野
Winter in Yellowstone.
黄石公园的冬天
Minus 40 degrees.
零下 40 度
Fahrenheit or centigrade, it doesn't really matter,
华氏还是摄氏 其实都无所谓
at minus 40 the two scales read the same.
对两种温度制来说 零下40度意义相同
For half the year, Yellowstone is frozen solid.
每年当中有一半的时间 黄石公园被严冰所包裹
Yet in the middle of this ice world there is scalding heat.
然而在这个冰冻世界的中♥央♥ 却有着灼热的温度
This is no ordinary place and this is no ordinary winter.
这是一个不寻常的地方 这儿的冬天同样不寻常
The fate of everything here lies in the hands of forces
在这里 每件事物的命运
of almost unimaginable power.
由几乎不可思议的力量所掌控
Yellowstone is deep in the heart of the Rocky Mountains of North America.
黄石公园 位于北美洛矶山脉中心地带的深处
An isolated high plateau defended by rugged peaks.
被层层山峦包围 高度与世隔绝
And its location is what makes it so different.
正是它所处的位置 让它如此与众不同
Right beneath Yellowstone a unique quirk of geology
在黄石公园的下方 隐藏着一种奇特的东西
means that molten rock
地质学上称之为岩浆(火山溶岩)
from deep in the earth comes unusually close to the frozen surface.
从地球的深处 几乎直通到冰冻的地表
No one knows why it happens right here,
没有人知道为什么刚好通到这里
but its impact is what has made Yellowstone world famous.
然而正是岩浆的喷发作用 使得黄石公园闻名于世
Yellowstone is the most extensive geothermal area on Earth.
黄石公园有地球上分布最广的地热区域
It has over 10,000 thermal wonders
这里有超过1♥0♥0♥0♥0♥ 个地热景观
and more geysers than the rest of the world put together.
这里的地热喷泉数目 超过世界其它地方的总和
Old Faithful is Yellowstone's most well-known geyser.
"老忠实喷泉"是黄石公园地热喷泉中的明星
It shoots 5,000 gallons of water
几乎每隔一个小时 它就往空中喷出5000 加仑水
150 feet into the air almost every hour.
水柱高达150 英尺
But the forces that fuel this spectacular display
但它所展示的力量
have an influence far greater than we can see on the surface.
其影响力远远超过 我们表面上所见到的
Paradoxically, it's all this underground heat
看起来很矛盾 但正是这地下的热
that helps make the Yellowstone winter
使得冬天的黄石公园
one of the coldest and toughest in America.
成为美国最寒冷和最艰苦的地方之一
It's November and winter is beginning to take hold.
现在是十一月 冬天开始控制一切
As it gets colder, one animal here gets stronger.
当天气逐渐转冷 这里的一种动物开始强大
Wolves. The winter is their time.
狼 冬天是他们的时间
Gradually, it weakens their prey.
逐渐地 寒冷使他们的猎物变弱
This is the Druid wolf pack,
这是德鲁伊狼群
one of the largest and most powerful in Yellowstone.
黄石公园中 数目最多且最强大的一群
The pack have this bull elk surrounded.
狼群已经将一只公麋鹿包围
But there's a problem.
但是问题来了
The pack won't follow the bull into the river.
狼群不会跟着公鹿跳进河里
They won't risk freezing to death in the ice cold water.
他们不会去冒在寒冷的冰水中被冻死的危险
What's more, now the elk's antlers are at just the right height
而且 现在麋鹿的鹿角所在的高度
to keep the wolves at bay.
恰好能够将狼抵挡在岸边
It's stalemate.
现在陷入僵持状态
But it's now the elk that has a problem of his own.
但是现在麋鹿也遇到了困扰
Although it's only knee deep, he can't stay in this freezing water forever.
虽然水深只及膝 但呆在冰水中绝非长久之计
A young female is not prepared to let him go.
一只母狼试图阻止它离开
But the elk is strong.
但这只公麋鹿很强壮
One-on-one he has the advantage.
一对一它占优势
Her only support is another youngster.
母狼唯一的支援是一只幼狼
They are neither strong or experienced enough
但它们都不够强壮 也没有足够的经验
to bring this elk down.
它们制伏不了这只麋鹿
But it's enough to make him turn and run
但要让它不停地转身和奔跑却不难
back to the river where he knows they won't follow.
它又跑回河里 它知道 它们不会跟下来
But the longer he stays in the freezing water,
但是 在冰冻的水中呆越久
the weaker he will get.
它就会变得越来越虚弱
Others before him have waited here too long,
它面前的敌人等了很久
and wolves are patient.
但狼是很有耐性的
Right now his strength is his only advantage.
他现在仅存的力量 是他的唯一优势
He has to try again.
他必须再试一次
This time even the young wolves stay put.
这一次 幼狼无可奈何
Without the support of the pack they never really stood a chance.
没有整个狼群的支持 它们就没有成功的机会
And the pack have already decided that this early in the winter,
现在冬季刚开始 狼群没有办法
a bull elk in his prime is just too strong.
年轻力强的公麋鹿 实在太健壮
But as the winter gets colder
但当冬天变得更寒冷
and the snow gets deeper the tables will turn.
雪积得更深 局面就会发生扭转
By the end of November,
十一月底
the arc of the sun barely breaks above the trees.
太阳基本升不到树上面
As its angle decreases, so does its power.
当太阳照射的角度减小 它的力量随之减小
And as the sun loses its hold over the land,
当太阳失去对这片土地的控制时
other forces begin to take over.
别的力量开始接管
Yellowstone has a dark secret
黄石公园有一个不为人知的秘密
that affects everything that lives here,
影响着这里的一切生物
especially in the winter.
尤其在冬天
It's only from high above ground
只有从高处
that we start to get a glimpse of the true nature of this place.
我们得以一瞥 这个地方的真实面貌
Yellowstone is a giant bowl 50 miles wide
黄石公园呈一个50哩方圆的碗状
right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.
位于洛矶山脉的正中♥央♥
There's nowhere else like it.
地球上仅此一处
And there's only one thing that could have created it.
也唯有一物才能造就如此景观
Three miles beneath this frozen surface
在这个冻结表面以下三哩处
is a colossal chamber of molten rock.
有一间贮藏熔岩的巨室
Today it powers Yellowstone's geysers.
它为黄石公园的喷泉提供能量
But every million years or so,
在大约百万年前
the pressure in this magma gets critical and the chamber explodes.
岩浆的压力剧增 并最终爆发
The last eruption, 6♥4♥0,000 years ago,
最后一次的爆发 是在6♥4♥0000 年前
was more than 1,000 times larger than Mount St Helens.
其规模超过圣海伦火山爆发的1000倍
It blasted away mountains and ejected hundreds of cubic miles of debris
山体迸裂 百立方英里的碎片四散空中
into the atmosphere, burying half the USA with ash.
将半个美国埋在火山灰里
The heart of Yellowstone is one of the world's biggest volcanoes.
黄石公园的中心 是世界上最大的火山之一
One day it will erupt again.
总有一天它还会再次爆发
It could be today or in another million years.
可能就是今天 也可能百万年后
But even as the volcano is sleeping,
但是就算火山处于休眠
breathing quietly through its geysers,
只是通过喷泉安静地呼吸
it has a profound effect on Yellowstone's winter.
也会对黄石公园的冬天有极深影响
The volcano made Yellowstone's giant bowl but it didn't stop there.
火山制♥造♥了巨碗状的黄石公园 但它并未就此停歇
Ever since, the huge pressure below the surface
自那时起 地表下巨大的压力
has been pushing it higher into the air,
将黄石公园越抬越高
and as it gets higher it gets colder.
地势越高 也就越寒冷
And now at its present altitude of 8,000 feet,
它现在高度 是8000 英尺
this giant bowl simply accumulates freezing air
这个庞大的碗 汇集了来自周围山脉的
from the surrounding mountains.
冰冻的空气
In the winter, the sleeping volcano becomes a giant deep freeze.
在冬天 沉睡的火山 极度深寒
On the open plateau, right in the middle of this frozen volcano
在这座冷冻火山 中♥央♥的开阔高地
is an animal that has lived here since the last ice age.
有一种动物 自从上一个冰河时代就居住在此
Bison are exposed to the worst of the Yellowstone winter,
野牛忍♥受着黄石公园的严冬
but they are built for it.
但是它们生就了应对严冬的本领
Their thick coat is such good insulation
它们厚厚的皮毛阻隔了严寒
that they only need a tiny amount of energy to keep warm.
因此它们只要消耗很少的能量便能保持温暖
So they slow their metabolism right down and concentrate on feeding.
它们减慢自身的新陈代谢 专注地吃草
With massive neck muscles they sweep their heads down through the snow
靠脖子上强大的肌肉 它们的头可以拱进积雪里
to get to the grass beneath.
找到埋在雪中的草
But the grass has long ago put its summer goodness down into its roots
但是草早已将夏天积蓄的能量 贮藏到草根
and now has about the same nutritional value as cardboard.
现在的营养价值和厚纸板相当
They will need to do all they can to save energy
他们会尽一切可能来保存能量
if they are to ward off starvation until spring returns.
只要他们在春天到来前不挨饿
As the winter strengthens its grip,
当严冬来临
elk move into more sheltered valleys at the edge of Yellowstone.
麋鹿迁入黄石公园边缘 能提供更多庇护的山谷内
They don't have the bison's ability to move deep snow.
因为他们没有能力象野牛那样 弄开厚厚的积雪
But this brings them into the territory of the Druid pack.
他们被迫进入德鲁伊狼群的领地
As the grazers are beginning to weaken,
当草食动物日子变得艰难时
life for the wolves is getting easier.
狼的日子就好过了
They are now successfully hunting about twice a week.
他们现在大概每个星期可以成功狩猎两次
They even have the energy to play.
他们甚至还有力气玩耍